Karen J. Alter writes and speaks about multilateralism, American foreign policy, ethics in international relations, international law and international courts. Alter participated in the Op-Ed Project, which aims to increase the voice of underrepresented groups.
Recent Op Eds and Media Appearances
Is China’s Role as a Peacemaker between Russia and the World Working? Morning Shot radio spot, Omny FM 89.3, March 22, 2023
Deep Dish on Global Affairs Prosecuting War Crimes in Ukraine, Podcast by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, April 7, 2022
Is it a Dance or is it Chicken?: The German Constitutional Court’s European Central Bank Ruling
VerfassungsBlog, May 13, 2020
Time for a World Trade Organization 2.0
Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2019
Trump’s tariffs aren’t the biggest trade problem. Will China step in to protect the WTO?
The Monkey Cage, Washington Post June 18, 2018
Disentangling Ethics and the Law: What’s Legal Isn’t Necessarily Ethical
National Law Review, February 28, 2018
The Future of International Law in an Age of Trump
The Berlin Journal, November 16 2017. This article previously appeared in German, Der Taggespiegel, November 8 2017.
The Least Bad Option in Syria
US News and World Reports November 5, 2015
Trials and Tribulations of Prosecuting Heads of State: The ICC and Kenyatta
The Monkey Cage, December 19, 2014
Foreign Policy Experts Support Release of the U.S. Torture Report
Deutsche Welle, December 10, 2014
Will America’s Failed Domestic Policy Spur a New Cold War?
The Huffington Post, May 13, 2014
Four Well Intentioned International Law Ideas Doomed to Fail
OZY, May 20, 2014
Let Nations, Not the World, Prosecute Corruption with Juliet Sorensen
US News and World Report, April 30, 2014
International Law’s Legacy vs. The Cases of Ukraine and Syria
The Huffington Post, March 27, 2014
The Only Way to Counter Russia: Invoking International law is the best way to respond to Russia’s action
US News and World Report, March 12, 2014
German high court challenges the European Central Bank pledge to defend the Euro
The Global Post March 6, 2014
Has Putin Broken International Law?
CNN Opinion, March 5, 2014
International Law and Chemical Weapons: Conservative Arguments of Substance
The Huffington Post, November 15, 2013.
Recent interviews
Amsterdam Center for International Law: On redundancy, regime complexity and universality in international law, June 12, 2019.
Chicago Tonight “Global Affairs Takes Center Stage”, April 6, 2017.
Chicago Tonight “Trump’s Russian Reset” January 9, 2017.
EJIL Live! interview with Joseph Weiler, August 3 2016.
Sage Video International Law and International Relations, 2016
Sage Video International Law Making a Difference, 2016
Sage Video International Law: The Gap Between Hopes and Expectations, 2016